The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has procured a 20-seater fibre boat with life jackets for NHIA field workers in the Volta region to boost its membership registration drive in the region.
The office has currently enrolled 97.7 per cent of the 1.7 million population in the region onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“We will definitely meet the 100 per cent target before the end of this year,” said the Volta Regional Director of the authority,” Susan Chobbah.
Speaking in an interview last Friday, Ms Chobbah said the impressive membership gains followed an exercise, “Market Storm” which carried the registration of the clients to the markets and doorsteps of people in various communities.
Ms Chobbah said the registration exercise took place vigorously in eight districts, including Ho West, North Dayi, South Dayi, Afadzato South, North Tongu, Akatsi North, Agotime Ziope and Adaklu, between April 15 and May 31, this year.
Islands
She indicated that the office’s field work on the dotted islands in the Tongu areas would definitely help to meet the 100 per cent target, “just as we did last year.”
The Volta Regional Director of NHIA expressed gratitude to the CEO of NHIA, Dr Victor Asare Bampoe, for the fiber boat, saying it was a step in the right direction at the right time.
Setback
Touching on setbacks in the registration of clients onto the scheme, she said some facilities were still charging clients for service already paid for by the NHIA, and that was affecting the membership drive.
The boat is expected to improve coverage of remote areas
Ms Chobbah cautioned service providers to desist from that misconduct and stick to their contracts with the authority saying the NHIA was building public trust to facilitate the membership drive and would, therefore, not condone fraudulent acts by any service provider.
Ms Chobbah appealed to NHIS clients to renew their membership promptly for smooth service delivery.
Shedding light on the Free Primary Health Care (FPHC), she explained that it was not meant to replace the NHIS but rather to supplement it.
The FPHC focused on the prevention and early detection of diseases, she added.
“That means we still need valid NHIS membership,” Miss Chobbah pointed out.
